Nintendo continues to propel its Donkey Kong franchise in new directions,
straying from the classic side-scrolling formula of Donkey Kong Country in
favor of games with control schemes that are slightly more unique. Its
latest offering, DK Jungle Climber on the Nintendo DS, builds on a solid
foundation laid down several years ago in DK: King of Swing on the Game Boy
Advance with updated graphics, bigger levels, new elements, and a unique
control scheme. Jungle Climber also offers a few new twists some Donkey Kong
fans will surely appreciate.

Jungle Climber features an improved version of the same swinging control
mechanic as its Game Boy Advance predecessor. Rather than simply running
around and jumping on bad guys, Donkey Kong gets to utilize the inherent
talent of his species. Player will primarily use the left and right shoulder
buttons to make the big ape latch onto a series of strategically placed
pegboards, and other scenery elements, in order to swing around and navigate
the increasingly complex levels. There are a few useful techniques to employ
for moving around, and much of the fun comes from this unusual control
scheme.

On the ground, you can move Donkey Kong left or right with the d-pad or
the shoulder buttons. Simultaneously pressing and releasing both the L and R
button will make him jump, and hitting the A button engages a jump attack.
While in the air, you can press the L button to make Donkey Kong grab with
his left hand or the R button to use his right. Grabbing a peg with one hand
will cause you to spin around. You can release your grip and use your spin
momentum to propel you in any direction, or you can grab more than one peg
to stop moving. From a two-handed position on the pegboard you can either
pull yourself into a basic jump, or launch a more forceful attack in the
direction you are facing. If you happen to have Diddy Kong riding on your
back, you can even launch him ahead of you to break barrels or slam into
enemies.

The controls are difficult to master, but after a bit of practice players
should be able to move hand over hand and leap-swing around with some level
of comfort. A few interesting moves and power-ups are thrown in to make the
climbing life a little easier. Eventually, you will be able to grab rocks
that can be flung at foes or barrels. With Diddy on your back you can nab up
a hammer that he swings around to smash things while you continue to climb,
or a feathery device that allows you to flap to greater heights, among other
things. Throughout the entire game, the touch screen is only used to trigger
one power-up, which makes you invincible and gives you the ability to fly
for a short time. This is great for breezing through particularly nasty
levels, and it almost becomes necessary later in the game when the difficult
truly ramps up to fist clenching proportions.

Most levels appear quite large now that they span vertically across both
of the DS screens. Players will find themselves swinging through some
interesting environments, to be sure. The developers did a good job of
introducing new elements and control mechanisms at different points
throughout the game, usually coinciding with subtle increases in difficulty.
In one area you'll have to use your weight to spin a giant peg wheel; in
another you'll be using pegs to propel yourself against strong underwater
bog currents. Others will find you leaping across cascading peg boards,
working mechanical levers, and pulling off some death-defying aerial
maneuvers. Boss battles also tend to cleverly utilize the game's controls,
especially in once instance where you'll have to unscrew bolts on a giant
robot in order to reveal its weak spots.